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The Drifting Isle Chronicles #3
The Machine God
One thing makes life in Eisenstadt bearable for exiled Professor Oladel Adewole: the island floating a mile above the city. He's an expert in world mythology about the island, but no one's ever been there or knows how it got there.
When a brilliant engineer makes it to the island in her new invention, the government sends Adewole up with its first survey team. The expedition finds civilization, and Adewole finds a powerful, forbidden fusion of magic and metal: the Machine God.
The government wants it. So does a sociopath bent on ruling Eisenstadt. But when Adewole discovers who the mechanical creature is--and what it can do--he risks his heart and his life to protect the Machine God from the world, and the world from the Machine God.
When a brilliant engineer makes it to the island in her new invention, the government sends Adewole up with its first survey team. The expedition finds civilization, and Adewole finds a powerful, forbidden fusion of magic and metal: the Machine God.
The government wants it. So does a sociopath bent on ruling Eisenstadt. But when Adewole discovers who the mechanical creature is--and what it can do--he risks his heart and his life to protect the Machine God from the world, and the world from the Machine God.
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2013
4 people are currently reading
310 people want to read
About the author
MeiLin Miranda
28 books93 followersMeiLin Miranda is the pen name of Lynn Siprelle. As MeiLin Miranda, she wrote literary fantasy and science fiction set in Victorian worlds. Her love of all things 19th century (except for the pesky parts like cholera, child labor, slavery and no rights for women) consumed her since childhood, when she fell in a stack of Louisa May Alcott books and never got up.
MeiLin wrote nonfiction for thirty years, in radio, television, print, and the web. She always wanted to write fiction, but figured she had time. She discovered she didn't when a series of unfortunate events resulted in a cardiac arrest complete with a near-death experience.
In December, 2014, MeiLin suffered a massive stroke; she was expected to die, as more than 90% of those struck by similar strokes do. Instead, thanks to an experimental treatment (the CLEAR-III study), she survived, though dramatically altered. Her recovery has been nothing short of spectacular, and still continues. She hopes to return to writing at some point, though it will be under her real name.
MeiLin lives in a 130-year-old house in Portland, Oregon with a husband, two daughters, a black cat, a little dog, and far, far too much yarn.
MeiLin wrote nonfiction for thirty years, in radio, television, print, and the web. She always wanted to write fiction, but figured she had time. She discovered she didn't when a series of unfortunate events resulted in a cardiac arrest complete with a near-death experience.
In December, 2014, MeiLin suffered a massive stroke; she was expected to die, as more than 90% of those struck by similar strokes do. Instead, thanks to an experimental treatment (the CLEAR-III study), she survived, though dramatically altered. Her recovery has been nothing short of spectacular, and still continues. She hopes to return to writing at some point, though it will be under her real name.
MeiLin lives in a 130-year-old house in Portland, Oregon with a husband, two daughters, a black cat, a little dog, and far, far too much yarn.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 17, 2013
Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic
ANALYSIS: In regards to the Drifting Isle Chronicles, I first heard about it last year and was lucky enough to talk to Joseph R. Lewis who was the main person instigating the project. He spoke about it a bit in his interview and since then I’ve been tracking it. In the last few weeks Joe contacted me and said that they were going to release three novels currently with one more to come later this year. There have been a series of guest post wherein an overview was given about the world as well as each author spoke about their own book and their favorite aspect about the shared world. Here are the guest posts:
1] The Drifting Isle Chronicles - A new way to tell new stories by Joseph R. Lewis
2] When Collaborating, Say Yes! by Meilin Miranda
3] On Machines And Talking Birds by Charlotte E. English
4] The Kaiser Affair - A fantasy thriller and travelogue to The Drifting Isle Chronicles by Robert Joseph Lewis
A couple of years ago, a few blogger friends and I had done a multi-story review. I decided to ask those fine folks again for their help and Qwill and Melissa graciously volunteered their time. So for the three DIC novels it was decided that Qwill would review Black Mercury, Melissa would take a look at The Kaiser Affair and I would focus on The Machine God. So today here’s my review of The Machine God and Melissa has also posted her thoughts about The Kaiser Affair on her blog followed by Qwill’s Black Mercury review on Thursday (18th April) on the Qwillery.
With The Machine God, Meilin had mentioned in her guest post as to how she got selected for writing about it. This book deals with a very crucial aspect of the storyline as it focuses upon Inselmond, the Drifting Isle that is located above the city of Eisenstadt. This story occurs a bit after the events of Black Mercury as the Island has already been discovered. Thus certain events lead to the inclusion of Professor Oladel Adewole, who is a Jero native and connoisseur of old, lost languages. He is also a polyglot and lover of coffee and perhaps the odd man out in academia. He looks often to his friend Karl Deviatka for support against the university chancellor who seems to dislike Adewole on sight and tries to prolong his official position. He however gets chosen because of his aptitude and soon finds out that the people of the drifting isle have a secret. A secret, which in the wrong hands might lead to an apocalypse, and that secret is what is the Machine God?
Meilin Miranda lovingly crafts this story about an outsider who is lost on personal and professional levels but strives to do the right thing always. With this story we get a third person perspective on the events of the story however it doesn’t rob us of the intimateness as often experienced via the first person narrative storylines. The main protagonist is an endearing person and the author’s characterizations marks him out splendidly. This tale while being a story about discovery of a new island is also about personal discovery in regards to several characters and that includes a wise owl that makes appearances throughout. The story slowly unveils all the issues at hand and though takes its time; the prose and world presented keep the reader fascinated for the entire time. Lastly the story unveils a rather dark turn of the world’s history and I’m hoping the founding chroniclers decide to explore it in the future as well.
Drawbacks to this tale are that it features a slower paced storyline as compared to The Kaiser Affair or Black Mercury however those story lines demand such a fast pace. With this story, it will depend on the readers to decide whether the pace matters in the enjoyment of this tale or not. Lastly some characters are mentioned and make an appearance and leave the stage very quickly, this is due to the fact that they are making cameos. Such appearances might confound certain readers and it will be good if they read this overview post by Joseph Robert Lewis to get a better sense of the story and world presented within.
CONCLUSION: Meilin Miranda writes a fascinating story about a person’s search for the greater good. The Machine God is a story that I enjoyed thoroughly. I would recommend this story heartily for those wanting a well-nuanced storyline. The Machine God is a good way to start the Drifting Isle Chronicles and I’ll be sure to check the other titles ASAP.
April 7, 2013
Meilin Miranda was one of my first friends on Twitter and someone with whom I enjoy spending time in real life whenever I find myself in her home city, so it would be hard, if not impossible, for me to be objective about her work. But I'm not a book reviewer or a book blogger, so I don't have to be. So with that in mind, read on.
First of all, I demand The Machine God be immediately adapted into an anime screenplay and turned over to Hayao Miyazaki and/or Isao Takahata immediately. As in this story begs to be brought to the screen by Studio Ghibli.
The novel -- short by today's standards but packing a whole lot of everything good in its few pages -- takes place in a shared fictional universe with a lot of steampunk elements, a rich and interesting history, and a great big island floating above a sizable population center: A legend-shrouded cataclysm a thousand years ago tore a grand old city right out of the earth and flung it into the sky, where it has been ever since, casting a shadow over the gradually resettled land below and tantalizing scholars and engineers with its unattainable nearness.
Unattainable until the discovery of a semi-magical petroleum stand-in called variously "black mercury" or "ichor" allows the city below's "autogyro" flying machines to achieve the great heights necessary to mount an expedition up to the floating island. Are there people there? Are there solutions to the mystery of how that huge chunk of land decided to cheat the law of gravity? Are there artifacts to study and/or trade in, and thus make someone famous and maybe even rich?
Our hero is a charming and slightly naive academic, Adewole, master of languages old and new, collector of folklore, specialist in legends about the floating island even though he comes from a faraway land and only wound up in the Drifting Isle's shadow due to a series of mishaps and betrayals, only to embark on a life of little respect and not a little contempt from the dean and most of the rest of the university where he holds a "useless" token chair in the humanities -- taking up space and soaking up money that everybody else thinks would be better put to use endowing yet another engineering professorship at an already science/technology-heavy school.
Everybody, that is, except for the one person whose opinion really counts, she who runs the city (the world of the Drifting Isle accords women a powerful socio-political position that threatens to nudge somewhat beyond equality into matriarchy, but not quite), who therefore happens to be the one who gets to choose the team to make first contact with the denizens, if any, of the Floating Island. Someone with a gift for language, a feel for forgotten lore and a talent for uncovering the true elements of various myths and legends is just the sort such an expedition needs.
Soon Adewole and his best friend, Deviatka (an engineering professor) are exploring the ruins of the city above, getting acquainted with the struggling locals they find there, and fretting over how the dean of their university will doubtless exploit their discoveries for his own profit -- social and economic -- as he has done to Deviatka so many, many times before.
And then Adewole makes a discovery that blows even their worst and wildest worries right out of the water with its implications, its historical import and its threat, both physical and moral, to the present and the future, possibly of their entire world.
Like I said, Ms. Miranda packed a whole lot into just a few pages -- wry and pointed commentary on academic politics and the tensions between pure and applied research, the ethical implications of the quest for knowledge for its own sake, the public and private morality of holders of political and academic power, and yes, whether or not someone at some point actually managed to build a mecha so big and powerful that it could legitimately be referred to as a Machine God.
And I haven't even gotten to the best part yet, because the world of the Drifting Isle is a world in which more and more birds are turning up sentient and capable of using human language all the time. An early scene with sparrows lecturing Adewole about how if he doesn't share a bit of his pastry with him he's basically a rude selfish jerk sets the amusing and yet also deadly serious tone here. Plus there is a talking owl so wise and cool and drily funny that she knocks Bubo and Glimfeather right out of contention for for the title of Most Awesome Fictional Owl of All Time (and no, I do not consider Hedwig even to be an also-ran here, sorry, Potterniks). Owls get notions, you know.
But above all, there is Adewole, with whom you would have to be the world's biggest jerk not to fall in love with before you're even through the very first chapter. His personal history is full of heartbreak and struggle; his talents are prodigious (yet he is modest about them); his behavior when faced with a truly unique set of challenges is completely believable and completely understandable, which is all the more remarkable when one considers the cruel set of dilemmas his creator set before him. He is, in other words, a shining example of Miranda's signature sweet, deserving young male hero, whose life is circumscribed by women but who is man enough to think that's just fine and to go on and be awesome in a way that harms no one and helps many. When he meets someone whose lot in life has been orders of magnitude harder than his, he doesn't even think to compare his misfortunes to hers, just swears that he will do all in his power to find a way to make it as close to better as he can. He is, in other words, so loveable that you can't even roll your eyes at him, or hate loving him, or love hating him, or even think he's a bit too much of a Boy Scout. You just want to be his best friend. Especially since, well, spoilers.
Now I'm curious about the rest of the Drifting Isle Chronicles, which I should be getting my grubby hands on soon for being a backer for Ms. Miranda's Kickstarter to get this one published in style. Dudes, I have the best taste in Kickstarter projects.
Oh, and a little bird told me (hee!) that Ms. Miranda is going to write more books set in this universe, so HOORAY!
First of all, I demand The Machine God be immediately adapted into an anime screenplay and turned over to Hayao Miyazaki and/or Isao Takahata immediately. As in this story begs to be brought to the screen by Studio Ghibli.
The novel -- short by today's standards but packing a whole lot of everything good in its few pages -- takes place in a shared fictional universe with a lot of steampunk elements, a rich and interesting history, and a great big island floating above a sizable population center: A legend-shrouded cataclysm a thousand years ago tore a grand old city right out of the earth and flung it into the sky, where it has been ever since, casting a shadow over the gradually resettled land below and tantalizing scholars and engineers with its unattainable nearness.
Unattainable until the discovery of a semi-magical petroleum stand-in called variously "black mercury" or "ichor" allows the city below's "autogyro" flying machines to achieve the great heights necessary to mount an expedition up to the floating island. Are there people there? Are there solutions to the mystery of how that huge chunk of land decided to cheat the law of gravity? Are there artifacts to study and/or trade in, and thus make someone famous and maybe even rich?
Our hero is a charming and slightly naive academic, Adewole, master of languages old and new, collector of folklore, specialist in legends about the floating island even though he comes from a faraway land and only wound up in the Drifting Isle's shadow due to a series of mishaps and betrayals, only to embark on a life of little respect and not a little contempt from the dean and most of the rest of the university where he holds a "useless" token chair in the humanities -- taking up space and soaking up money that everybody else thinks would be better put to use endowing yet another engineering professorship at an already science/technology-heavy school.
Everybody, that is, except for the one person whose opinion really counts, she who runs the city (the world of the Drifting Isle accords women a powerful socio-political position that threatens to nudge somewhat beyond equality into matriarchy, but not quite), who therefore happens to be the one who gets to choose the team to make first contact with the denizens, if any, of the Floating Island. Someone with a gift for language, a feel for forgotten lore and a talent for uncovering the true elements of various myths and legends is just the sort such an expedition needs.
Soon Adewole and his best friend, Deviatka (an engineering professor) are exploring the ruins of the city above, getting acquainted with the struggling locals they find there, and fretting over how the dean of their university will doubtless exploit their discoveries for his own profit -- social and economic -- as he has done to Deviatka so many, many times before.
And then Adewole makes a discovery that blows even their worst and wildest worries right out of the water with its implications, its historical import and its threat, both physical and moral, to the present and the future, possibly of their entire world.
Like I said, Ms. Miranda packed a whole lot into just a few pages -- wry and pointed commentary on academic politics and the tensions between pure and applied research, the ethical implications of the quest for knowledge for its own sake, the public and private morality of holders of political and academic power, and yes, whether or not someone at some point actually managed to build a mecha so big and powerful that it could legitimately be referred to as a Machine God.
And I haven't even gotten to the best part yet, because the world of the Drifting Isle is a world in which more and more birds are turning up sentient and capable of using human language all the time. An early scene with sparrows lecturing Adewole about how if he doesn't share a bit of his pastry with him he's basically a rude selfish jerk sets the amusing and yet also deadly serious tone here. Plus there is a talking owl so wise and cool and drily funny that she knocks Bubo and Glimfeather right out of contention for for the title of Most Awesome Fictional Owl of All Time (and no, I do not consider Hedwig even to be an also-ran here, sorry, Potterniks). Owls get notions, you know.
But above all, there is Adewole, with whom you would have to be the world's biggest jerk not to fall in love with before you're even through the very first chapter. His personal history is full of heartbreak and struggle; his talents are prodigious (yet he is modest about them); his behavior when faced with a truly unique set of challenges is completely believable and completely understandable, which is all the more remarkable when one considers the cruel set of dilemmas his creator set before him. He is, in other words, a shining example of Miranda's signature sweet, deserving young male hero, whose life is circumscribed by women but who is man enough to think that's just fine and to go on and be awesome in a way that harms no one and helps many. When he meets someone whose lot in life has been orders of magnitude harder than his, he doesn't even think to compare his misfortunes to hers, just swears that he will do all in his power to find a way to make it as close to better as he can. He is, in other words, so loveable that you can't even roll your eyes at him, or hate loving him, or love hating him, or even think he's a bit too much of a Boy Scout. You just want to be his best friend. Especially since, well, spoilers.
Now I'm curious about the rest of the Drifting Isle Chronicles, which I should be getting my grubby hands on soon for being a backer for Ms. Miranda's Kickstarter to get this one published in style. Dudes, I have the best taste in Kickstarter projects.
Oh, and a little bird told me (hee!) that Ms. Miranda is going to write more books set in this universe, so HOORAY!
September 18, 2014
I've said what I think of the other two "Drifting Isle Chronicles" books here on Goodreads. Neither "Black Mercury" nor "The Kaiser Affair" were good.
THIS is an entirely different story.
I loved this book from beginning to end, the only criticism being that it ended too soon. It features a protagonist who is an outsider, a scholar, a thinking man and a good friend.
It posits a genuinely horrific melding of mind and machine.
It has a convincing first contact situation.
I was invested in the main characters and felt their tears, fears and joys. I was also invested in the story as it unfolded, and wanted to know more at every step.
It's possible that the author had the best situation so far in the Drifting Isle Chronicles, one of genuine newness and discovery. Be that as it may, MeiLin Miranada has written an intriguing and heart-breaking story using the trappings of steampunk without making them the focus.
Highly recommended. And you don't need to read the other stories in the series to understand what's going on.
THIS is an entirely different story.
I loved this book from beginning to end, the only criticism being that it ended too soon. It features a protagonist who is an outsider, a scholar, a thinking man and a good friend.
It posits a genuinely horrific melding of mind and machine.
It has a convincing first contact situation.
I was invested in the main characters and felt their tears, fears and joys. I was also invested in the story as it unfolded, and wanted to know more at every step.
It's possible that the author had the best situation so far in the Drifting Isle Chronicles, one of genuine newness and discovery. Be that as it may, MeiLin Miranada has written an intriguing and heart-breaking story using the trappings of steampunk without making them the focus.
Highly recommended. And you don't need to read the other stories in the series to understand what's going on.
August 15, 2014
This story focuses on the adventure of Dr. Adewole, a linguist and Humanities expert investigating the floating island of Risenton. Myths surround this site, and when a power source becomes available, Adewole and a team of explorers and military-folk ascend a mile into the sky to meet an untouched culture. Their arrival is legendary, but the mystery surrounding Risenton's history takes up the tale.
Adewole's mission to study the history of the city uncovers the primary documents of a sinister inventor who combined magic with metal and brought about his own destruction--along with those of thousands of Risenton-folk. Now, a thousand years later, Adewole's research uncovers the power behind that destruction, and he's an inadvertent accomplice to (perhaps) the second coming.
It's like STARGATE and THE IRON GIANT had a love child and called it THE MACHINE GOD. I loved it. Like both of those movies, malevolent forces are working behind the scenes to weaponize an ordinarily peaceful invention.
Beyond creative, I also loved that the main character of THE MACHINE GOD, Adewole, was a man of color and a scholar. The steampunk elements remain throughout, but the fantasy elements, from living metal to sentient, speaking birds, make this story unique. This book is truly well-written allowing the fantasy to simply blend instead of outshine.
Adewole's mission to study the history of the city uncovers the primary documents of a sinister inventor who combined magic with metal and brought about his own destruction--along with those of thousands of Risenton-folk. Now, a thousand years later, Adewole's research uncovers the power behind that destruction, and he's an inadvertent accomplice to (perhaps) the second coming.
It's like STARGATE and THE IRON GIANT had a love child and called it THE MACHINE GOD. I loved it. Like both of those movies, malevolent forces are working behind the scenes to weaponize an ordinarily peaceful invention.
Beyond creative, I also loved that the main character of THE MACHINE GOD, Adewole, was a man of color and a scholar. The steampunk elements remain throughout, but the fantasy elements, from living metal to sentient, speaking birds, make this story unique. This book is truly well-written allowing the fantasy to simply blend instead of outshine.
April 6, 2013
What a great book, and novel concept! The Machine God paints a rich portrait of an incredible universe, combining hints of magic realism with a funky steampunk adventure, all while keeping its protagonist human, believable, and intensely lovable. Adewole will frustrate you at times, but only because he is so real; his naivete and willingness to trust those around him lead him into sticky situations, but his nature wouldn't permit otherwise. The novel is a fast read, but an enjoyable one, and I highly recommend it.
Read
April 6, 2013I wrote it. :)
This is part of the Drifting Isle Chronicles project, a shared universe created by four fantasy writers including me. We each wrote a separate novel set in the DIC world. The first three are (in chronological order though they are all standalone and can be read any way you wish):
Black Mercury by Charlotte E. English
The Kaiser Affair by Joseph Robert Lewis
The Machine God by MeiLin Miranda
In late 2013, we expect Kat Parrish's Starcaster.
This is part of the Drifting Isle Chronicles project, a shared universe created by four fantasy writers including me. We each wrote a separate novel set in the DIC world. The first three are (in chronological order though they are all standalone and can be read any way you wish):
Black Mercury by Charlotte E. English
The Kaiser Affair by Joseph Robert Lewis
The Machine God by MeiLin Miranda
In late 2013, we expect Kat Parrish's Starcaster.
March 22, 2017
Well, this story functions quite well to continue the story from Black Mercury. We see the fates of many of the characters from the previous novel, but this really is quite a different story with a different focus. The series is going from mostly Steampunk to Steampunk Fantasy in this book while also exploring ideas of colonialism, fallen empires, and racism. (Also university and identity politics)
The characters were quite relatable and I actually found Adewalle to be some I liked a lot more than Cas in the previous book.
If you found the previous entry fun, I'd definitely continue on to this book. I actually stands alone very well. Like many Discworld books you'll be poorer for not understanding more subtleties of the world, but it's not required to know who Hildy or Cas are to enjoy the story here.
It's a nice, measured pace and a good read. Check it out!
The characters were quite relatable and I actually found Adewalle to be some I liked a lot more than Cas in the previous book.
If you found the previous entry fun, I'd definitely continue on to this book. I actually stands alone very well. Like many Discworld books you'll be poorer for not understanding more subtleties of the world, but it's not required to know who Hildy or Cas are to enjoy the story here.
It's a nice, measured pace and a good read. Check it out!
September 10, 2016
3.5 stars.
Well, so I’m relatively sure that Chick Fil A won’t be opening a restaurant in Eisenstadt.
Eisenstadt’s birds, including the poultry, talk. Consequently, feathered things are off the menu.
Professor Oladel Adewole is in a kind of exile in the city of Eisenstadt. At the story’s beginning, he is getting accustomed to the notion of blabbing sparrows as well as a dearth of coffee. (The lack of coffee, unlike the conversational birds, isn’t really explained. Problems with shipping, I guess.) He’s a professor of linguistics and his move from his native Jero to Eisenstadt is in the guise of career opportunity.
His new boss, however, hates him, and he’s only paid enough to live near the Drift, the shadow of Inselmond, the island that floats above Eisenstadt. It’s sort of like the floating islands of Avatar’s Pandora, except no one has ever visited or knows who or what lives there. (It turns out that regular people do live there, which begs the question: “Really? You mean no teenage Inselmonders ever spent a drunken night flinging stuff off the edge of the island?”)
This all changes when a substance know as black mercury is discovered. It’s like gasoline, only better. It doesn’t need refining and is a potent fuel. Eisenstadt, Jero and the nations of The Machine God utilize 1900s technology, with steam being the primary fuel. Now, with this zippier fuel source, they can finally visit the mysterious island of Iselmond.
Oladel, along with his roommate, Karl Deviatka (an engineer and a nobleman whose family has fallen on hard times) are part of the uh, “away team" who will make first contact. Arriving there, they find a small population of people, most of whom (except the richies, of course) lead a hardscrabble life, farming the limited arable land and eating giant beetles, the only meat on the menu. In Iselmond, or Risenton, as it’s called by the locals, the birds also talk. (Although, you kind of wonder, in a world where the only "meats" on the table is bug, if people might get over the aversion to eating talking fowl. "Shut up and be fried chicken!")
Oladel soon acquaints himself with Risenton’s scholars and librarians and begins researching the island’s history, digging into the calamity that threw the island into the sky a thousand or so years ago. His efforts are hampered by a Risenton’s cultural secrecy, driven by fear of the use of metal with magic. The secret appears to lie within an ancient manuscript that details the making of a metal man that is fused with the soul of a “god.”
“No harm ever came from reading a book,” says Evy in the movie The Mummy, about a minute before she reads a book, unleashing a vengeful mummy on the world. Similarly, what Oladel finds within the pages of a book leads to the dire, dire happenings.
The Machine God is an installment in a series of books written in a shared world. It's relatively short (198 pages), but nonetheless, my attention span wandered and it took a while for me to finish reading it. The writing is quite good, with vivid but not overcooked description. There aren't many characters and they are distinctive, though maybe not wildly compelling. The world building is sufficient and original.
My interest flagged after Oladel and Karl got to Iselmond/Risenton. Maybe it's the politics and maneuvering necessary when meeting a new people that got dull. Or some of Oladel's activities before he finds the tome of doom. Once he gets going translating the book, however, things do pick up. And his discoveries go far in explaining much about the island and its culture. I suspect the problem lies with the protagonist who, as a scholar, isn't exactly the dynamic action hero type. I'm conflicted, because I like the idea of a nerd hero, but I guess he/she still needs to be a little more...uh, active. Or given more to do.
But, the writing and the unique setting makes The Machine God a nice diversion.
Well, so I’m relatively sure that Chick Fil A won’t be opening a restaurant in Eisenstadt.
Eisenstadt’s birds, including the poultry, talk. Consequently, feathered things are off the menu.
Professor Oladel Adewole is in a kind of exile in the city of Eisenstadt. At the story’s beginning, he is getting accustomed to the notion of blabbing sparrows as well as a dearth of coffee. (The lack of coffee, unlike the conversational birds, isn’t really explained. Problems with shipping, I guess.) He’s a professor of linguistics and his move from his native Jero to Eisenstadt is in the guise of career opportunity.
His new boss, however, hates him, and he’s only paid enough to live near the Drift, the shadow of Inselmond, the island that floats above Eisenstadt. It’s sort of like the floating islands of Avatar’s Pandora, except no one has ever visited or knows who or what lives there. (It turns out that regular people do live there, which begs the question: “Really? You mean no teenage Inselmonders ever spent a drunken night flinging stuff off the edge of the island?”)
This all changes when a substance know as black mercury is discovered. It’s like gasoline, only better. It doesn’t need refining and is a potent fuel. Eisenstadt, Jero and the nations of The Machine God utilize 1900s technology, with steam being the primary fuel. Now, with this zippier fuel source, they can finally visit the mysterious island of Iselmond.
Oladel, along with his roommate, Karl Deviatka (an engineer and a nobleman whose family has fallen on hard times) are part of the uh, “away team" who will make first contact. Arriving there, they find a small population of people, most of whom (except the richies, of course) lead a hardscrabble life, farming the limited arable land and eating giant beetles, the only meat on the menu. In Iselmond, or Risenton, as it’s called by the locals, the birds also talk. (Although, you kind of wonder, in a world where the only "meats" on the table is bug, if people might get over the aversion to eating talking fowl. "Shut up and be fried chicken!")
Oladel soon acquaints himself with Risenton’s scholars and librarians and begins researching the island’s history, digging into the calamity that threw the island into the sky a thousand or so years ago. His efforts are hampered by a Risenton’s cultural secrecy, driven by fear of the use of metal with magic. The secret appears to lie within an ancient manuscript that details the making of a metal man that is fused with the soul of a “god.”
“No harm ever came from reading a book,” says Evy in the movie The Mummy, about a minute before she reads a book, unleashing a vengeful mummy on the world. Similarly, what Oladel finds within the pages of a book leads to the dire, dire happenings.
The Machine God is an installment in a series of books written in a shared world. It's relatively short (198 pages), but nonetheless, my attention span wandered and it took a while for me to finish reading it. The writing is quite good, with vivid but not overcooked description. There aren't many characters and they are distinctive, though maybe not wildly compelling. The world building is sufficient and original.
My interest flagged after Oladel and Karl got to Iselmond/Risenton. Maybe it's the politics and maneuvering necessary when meeting a new people that got dull. Or some of Oladel's activities before he finds the tome of doom. Once he gets going translating the book, however, things do pick up. And his discoveries go far in explaining much about the island and its culture. I suspect the problem lies with the protagonist who, as a scholar, isn't exactly the dynamic action hero type. I'm conflicted, because I like the idea of a nerd hero, but I guess he/she still needs to be a little more...uh, active. Or given more to do.
But, the writing and the unique setting makes The Machine God a nice diversion.
January 17, 2014
I dithered between three and four stars for this. I think it's on the low end of four.
On the upside, this is much better than the usual steampunk mess. There's a complete absence of silly romance, nothing is unnecessarily or unrealistically made of brass, nobody wears a corset, and there's at least one character with depth. It's not a 1930s pulp in a bad Jules Verne costume, either, and it isn't littered with basic editing errors.
Having said that, there are a few issues. Firstly, while obviously steampunk, by definition, isn't about real technology, if you have a steam-powered technology and you somehow supercharge it by using a magical fuel, you don't use that fuel to replace the water in the boiler. This suggests a lack of grasp of the basics of how steam engines work.
Then there are a few Inigo Montoya words scattered here and there. "A pastiche of stone and bricks" used to mean, by the context, a patchwork. "Ascribe" used to mean "subscribe". "Betook" used as an archaic word for "took", which it isn't; it has its own meaning, which makes no sense in the sentence where it's used.
There's also the Whole Culture Used Only as Flavouring Problem, in which a culture from our world with complex historical origins is grabbed and used more or less to provide a bit of colour, without much in-depth understanding. In this case, it's the German culture, which provides mainly names (or the general shape of names; I don't think most of them are actual German names or mean anything in German). One of those names, von Sülzle, in our world would indicate aristocratic descent (because of the "von"), but it's given to someone who's very much a commoner - and shows this by talking like a modern American, in contrast to the more formal speech of the rest of the characters. If MeiLin Miranda is, as her name suggests, of Asian origin, then this is payback, I suppose, for every half-baked piece of orientalism in genre fiction, going back at least to the 19th century. On the other hand, if it's a bad practice in one direction, it's a bad practice in both directions.
So much for the language and setting. I'll note again that this is still much better than the average steampunk work I've read.
As far as the characters go, I liked the protagonist, a gentle scholar from another, ancient city, mourning his little sister, excited to be a part of rediscovering history, missing his cultural food and drink. He had depth and dimension and remained consistent throughout. The antagonist, by contrast, seemed to become the antagonist out of nowhere, without adequate foreshadowing, and I found that offputting.
It's always revealing, to me, when I set a book aside for a while and read something else instead, or entertain myself in other ways rather than read it, and this was such a book. Partly that was because, having hit some of the flaws mentioned above, I was dreading it getting worse (it didn't). Partly, it was because it got dark in places, and that's not the kind of book I prefer. Mainly, though, I think it was the lack of something: a vivid and compelling story problem presented early that would grab me and not let me go. There definitely is a story problem, but I felt it came too late in the book to really seize my interest.
On the upside, this is much better than the usual steampunk mess. There's a complete absence of silly romance, nothing is unnecessarily or unrealistically made of brass, nobody wears a corset, and there's at least one character with depth. It's not a 1930s pulp in a bad Jules Verne costume, either, and it isn't littered with basic editing errors.
Having said that, there are a few issues. Firstly, while obviously steampunk, by definition, isn't about real technology, if you have a steam-powered technology and you somehow supercharge it by using a magical fuel, you don't use that fuel to replace the water in the boiler. This suggests a lack of grasp of the basics of how steam engines work.
Then there are a few Inigo Montoya words scattered here and there. "A pastiche of stone and bricks" used to mean, by the context, a patchwork. "Ascribe" used to mean "subscribe". "Betook" used as an archaic word for "took", which it isn't; it has its own meaning, which makes no sense in the sentence where it's used.
There's also the Whole Culture Used Only as Flavouring Problem, in which a culture from our world with complex historical origins is grabbed and used more or less to provide a bit of colour, without much in-depth understanding. In this case, it's the German culture, which provides mainly names (or the general shape of names; I don't think most of them are actual German names or mean anything in German). One of those names, von Sülzle, in our world would indicate aristocratic descent (because of the "von"), but it's given to someone who's very much a commoner - and shows this by talking like a modern American, in contrast to the more formal speech of the rest of the characters. If MeiLin Miranda is, as her name suggests, of Asian origin, then this is payback, I suppose, for every half-baked piece of orientalism in genre fiction, going back at least to the 19th century. On the other hand, if it's a bad practice in one direction, it's a bad practice in both directions.
So much for the language and setting. I'll note again that this is still much better than the average steampunk work I've read.
As far as the characters go, I liked the protagonist, a gentle scholar from another, ancient city, mourning his little sister, excited to be a part of rediscovering history, missing his cultural food and drink. He had depth and dimension and remained consistent throughout. The antagonist, by contrast, seemed to become the antagonist out of nowhere, without adequate foreshadowing, and I found that offputting.
It's always revealing, to me, when I set a book aside for a while and read something else instead, or entertain myself in other ways rather than read it, and this was such a book. Partly that was because, having hit some of the flaws mentioned above, I was dreading it getting worse (it didn't). Partly, it was because it got dark in places, and that's not the kind of book I prefer. Mainly, though, I think it was the lack of something: a vivid and compelling story problem presented early that would grab me and not let me go. There definitely is a story problem, but I felt it came too late in the book to really seize my interest.
May 22, 2013
Professor Adewole, a Jerian who specializes in ancient languages, hopes to ease his heartache from his sister's passing. Being in Eisenstadt is a trying experience for Professor Adewole where he comes from there are no talking birds at all. Professor Adewole closest friend is Professor Karl Deviatka of the engineering department at The University of Eisenstadt. When Hilegard Goldstien lands her autogyro on the legendary isle Inselmond causes an unexpected uproar. Professors Adewole and Deviatka are selected to be apart of the diplomatic mission. Upon reaching Inselmond, the diplomatic party is in for a state of shock. Inselmond is known as Risenton by all appearances is primitive culture with a common phrase~Metal and Magic No More. Professor Adewole is stunned to learn that nobody can read or write any more. He's given access to the only library in Risenton and makes shocking discovery. Can the residents of Risenton survive? What is Professor Adewole's discovery? What does metal and magic mean? Your answers await you in The Machine God.
Unique perspective for this series so far. I particularly enjoyed the whole Metal and Magic No More phrase because it should just how vastly different the two cultures were. I thought that Professor Adewole was very much like the bumbling professor from the movie Flubber just not so absentminded. There just seems to be so many stories that can be created in this series. I will definitely look forward to the next installment in The Drifting Isle Chronicles.
Unique perspective for this series so far. I particularly enjoyed the whole Metal and Magic No More phrase because it should just how vastly different the two cultures were. I thought that Professor Adewole was very much like the bumbling professor from the movie Flubber just not so absentminded. There just seems to be so many stories that can be created in this series. I will definitely look forward to the next installment in The Drifting Isle Chronicles.
August 22, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. It follows Adewole, a Jerian, polyglot, and anthropologist far from home who doesn't feel like he belongs in the city of Eisenstadt (I have no idea how to pronounce this). The pace is actually pretty slow, but I think that is one of this stories strongest assets. The majority of the story involves research and investigation, and at no point did I find myself disinterested in Adewole's perusing of ancient library books. The story plays out a bit like a mystery, with Adewole slowly uncovering piece after piece of an ancient mystery from an ancient and forgotten civilization.
The world itself is steampunk themed, with autogyros and coilguns. Although I didn't find the steampunk elements to be laid on too thick (whether this is good or bad is up to you). I thoroughly enjoyed this story. All the problems weren't solved with blazing guns and swinging swords. I found it refreshing compared to what I usually read. I would definitely recommend it, and I'll be checking out the other novels in this series.
The world itself is steampunk themed, with autogyros and coilguns. Although I didn't find the steampunk elements to be laid on too thick (whether this is good or bad is up to you). I thoroughly enjoyed this story. All the problems weren't solved with blazing guns and swinging swords. I found it refreshing compared to what I usually read. I would definitely recommend it, and I'll be checking out the other novels in this series.
May 23, 2013
*** I was given a free review copy courtesy of the Author.
The Machine God by MeiLin Miranda is a mix of fantasy and magic with steampunk. The real power source in this story is a substance called”ichor”.
"Ichor? An obscure word in Old Rhendalian meaning “blood of the gods,” a word the ancient alchemists used to describe a mythical, elusive substance which turned lead to gold. Adewole said nothing about it to the engineer; esoterica bored him."
I have to admit that I really enjoyed the coffee-swilling character Adewole. He is a very interesting yet flawed character. Having said that, I think the owls are my favorite characters in the book.
If you like your steampunk with a twist of fantasy, I think that you will enjoy the book. I give it a solid 4 stars out of 5. Funny and touching, The Machine God has a little something for everyone.
The Machine God by MeiLin Miranda is a mix of fantasy and magic with steampunk. The real power source in this story is a substance called”ichor”.
"Ichor? An obscure word in Old Rhendalian meaning “blood of the gods,” a word the ancient alchemists used to describe a mythical, elusive substance which turned lead to gold. Adewole said nothing about it to the engineer; esoterica bored him."
I have to admit that I really enjoyed the coffee-swilling character Adewole. He is a very interesting yet flawed character. Having said that, I think the owls are my favorite characters in the book.
If you like your steampunk with a twist of fantasy, I think that you will enjoy the book. I give it a solid 4 stars out of 5. Funny and touching, The Machine God has a little something for everyone.
July 26, 2014
What a fun concept! I love the melding of science and technology and magic and myth in Machine God, and MeiLin handles it with a well-crafted brush. Her protagonist is wonderful, well fleshed, relatable, and elicits empathy and concern - I worried what happened to him and I felt every shred of pain in his deeply conflicted soul! The plot is interesting and engaging. The world she wove within the pages of this book is rich and deep and I look forward to spending more time there.
Another reviewer suggested this would be a great story for Studio Ghibli and I wholeheartedly agree!
Some of the other characters could have used a bit more depth, particularly the antagonist, whose final moments felt a bit rushed to me, but I definitely give Machine God a thumbs up!
Another reviewer suggested this would be a great story for Studio Ghibli and I wholeheartedly agree!
Some of the other characters could have used a bit more depth, particularly the antagonist, whose final moments felt a bit rushed to me, but I definitely give Machine God a thumbs up!
June 5, 2013
Interesting concept and likable characters. The fantasy world is told in a way that is easy to imagine and the story is appropriate for a younger audience.
I found a single editing error but the story is well-written and so very nearly polished that it shouldn't bother most readers.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review. I'm interested in seeing how the rest of the series holds up to this book.
I found a single editing error but the story is well-written and so very nearly polished that it shouldn't bother most readers.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review. I'm interested in seeing how the rest of the series holds up to this book.
Read
June 25, 2013"Verdict: Outstanding - I loved almost everything about it.
A floating island's dark past is uncovered in this first contact adventure."
Full review on my blog:
http://knrbooks.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-machine-god.html
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for a review.
A floating island's dark past is uncovered in this first contact adventure."
Full review on my blog:
http://knrbooks.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-machine-god.html
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for a review.
January 3, 2014
The second book in the Drifting Isle Chronicles series. Same setting/location and world but different characters. Interesting plotline but did not like the characters as well as in the first book and did not find them as well defined.
May 26, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. I definitely plan on reading others in this interesting shared worlds steampunk series.
September 11, 2013
Quite enjoyed this entry in the Drifting Isle shared world series of books. I've read the first two and enjoyed them and this did not disappoint. Quite good, like the world building and charactgers.
February 22, 2019
I love novels with talking animals. This one has talking birds. And, the resolution of the action in this was quite good. And, sad.
August 31, 2014
I picked up the Steampunk Storybundle recently, which came with two books of the Drifting Isles Chronicles. The first was Black Mercury and the second (though apparently the third in the series), this book. Although I did enjoy Black Mercury, I would probably not have gone more into the series, though since I already had the book from the bundle I went on to read Machine God. I am glad I did, as I enjoyed it most.
Where Black Mercury hints at things and glosses over other things, The Machine God explains. The origin of the Mercury and the talking birds is all here and since most of the book takes place on the floating island the series is named for, it just feels almost like a better introduction to the series. Enough that I bought the Kaiser Affair.
I like the foreign main character a lot. Having an outsider explore Eisenstadt shows the reader a deeper look at the city where he points out the oddities in a natural way without it feeling out of character. Plot wise, there are a lot of pretty good twists and betrayal in the story that keep things exciting
Well recommended.
Where Black Mercury hints at things and glosses over other things, The Machine God explains. The origin of the Mercury and the talking birds is all here and since most of the book takes place on the floating island the series is named for, it just feels almost like a better introduction to the series. Enough that I bought the Kaiser Affair.
I like the foreign main character a lot. Having an outsider explore Eisenstadt shows the reader a deeper look at the city where he points out the oddities in a natural way without it feeling out of character. Plot wise, there are a lot of pretty good twists and betrayal in the story that keep things exciting
Well recommended.
January 1, 2015
I read this book without realizing that it was part of a series. This book is not dependent on the others in the series, though. This is a stand-alone story.
I found the concept of the floating island fascinating. The island and its effects on the city below it are described well. I really liked the main character. Adewole is endearing, with his homesickness, grief, need for coffee, and dedication to a field of study that is not highly regarded. I envied him his access to the ancient library and his owl friend. The other characters are not quite as well drawn, but are all interesting people that add realism to the story. My favorite was Adewole's landlady, one of the least important characters. The talking birds were fun, too.
I would describe this story as primarily fantasy with some steampunk elements. For all that Adewole's brush with magic gets a bit muddled within the overall story, the final outcome is done well. The story's ending was a good one. This book is an enjoyable read.
I found the concept of the floating island fascinating. The island and its effects on the city below it are described well. I really liked the main character. Adewole is endearing, with his homesickness, grief, need for coffee, and dedication to a field of study that is not highly regarded. I envied him his access to the ancient library and his owl friend. The other characters are not quite as well drawn, but are all interesting people that add realism to the story. My favorite was Adewole's landlady, one of the least important characters. The talking birds were fun, too.
I would describe this story as primarily fantasy with some steampunk elements. For all that Adewole's brush with magic gets a bit muddled within the overall story, the final outcome is done well. The story's ending was a good one. This book is an enjoyable read.
March 24, 2015
Started out quite promisingly, with an interesting protagonist and a world that someone had clearly given quite a bit of thought to in terms of world-building (loved the talking birds, though I could see how they could be quite a pain, as indeed some of them are in the book).
Then it all went a bit grisly when it came to talking about how the titular Machine God was brought to life (the last thing I read that had a similar feel to it was KJ Parker's The Belly of the Bow) but after that it kind of lost its way. The ending was a bit of an anti-climax, as was the moustache-twirling behaviour of our 'unexpected' villain.
Sadly our protagonist also didn't really seem to survive intact and became himself a bit of a caricature, neither one thing or another. Disappointing.
Then it all went a bit grisly when it came to talking about how the titular Machine God was brought to life (the last thing I read that had a similar feel to it was KJ Parker's The Belly of the Bow) but after that it kind of lost its way. The ending was a bit of an anti-climax, as was the moustache-twirling behaviour of our 'unexpected' villain.
Sadly our protagonist also didn't really seem to survive intact and became himself a bit of a caricature, neither one thing or another. Disappointing.
September 18, 2014
I got this book as part of a steampunk bundle, I think from Humble Indie Bundle, but I can't recall. When you pay eight dollars for ten books, you don't go in with high expectations.
But this book really scratched an itch I had. Lately, I've been very episodic in my reading - twenty pages, then nothing for the rest of the week. It took me months to finish The Great Sea. But I dove into and tore through The Machine God.
The plot is standard: Man learns of device of ultimate power, man tells wrong people, man tries to save the world...
The world itself is fascinating. Above a city floats a rock, miles long and wide, and the populace on the ground has finally found a way to ascend to this rock and explore its secrets.
But this book really scratched an itch I had. Lately, I've been very episodic in my reading - twenty pages, then nothing for the rest of the week. It took me months to finish The Great Sea. But I dove into and tore through The Machine God.
The plot is standard: Man learns of device of ultimate power, man tells wrong people, man tries to save the world...
The world itself is fascinating. Above a city floats a rock, miles long and wide, and the populace on the ground has finally found a way to ascend to this rock and explore its secrets.
December 8, 2014
I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, it was the perfect combination of magic and machine in a quickly-paced story. I look forward to the next installment!
March 2, 2015
I really enjoyed this somewhat short story. There was interesting characters, multifaceted people, and an interesting alternative world.
June 28, 2015
A good, fast story with an awesome protagonist. Made me cry in the end, but it was worth it.
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